Guard Justin Cobbs, held in check for just five points in Cal's season-ending loss, tries to get to the basket.

Photo: Stephen Lam, Special To The Chronicle

Guard Justin Cobbs, held in check for just five points in Cal's...

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California Golden Bears guard Allen Crabbe (23) grabs a rebound during the third-round game of his NCAA college basketball tournament against Syracuse Orange at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. on Saturday, March 23, 2013.

Photo: Stephen Lam, Special To The Chronicle

California Golden Bears guard Allen Crabbe (23) grabs a rebound...

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California Golden Bears guard Justin Cobbs (1) loses the ball during the third-round game of his NCAA college basketball tournament against Syracuse Orange at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. on Saturday, March 23, 2013.

Photo: Stephen Lam, Special To The Chronicle

California Golden Bears guard Justin Cobbs (1) loses the ball...

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California Golden Bears guard Justin Cobbs (1) drives for a layout while being pressured by Syracuse Orange center Baye Keita (12) during the third-round game of their NCAA college basketball tournament at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. on Saturday, March 23, 2013.The Orange defeated the Golden Bears 66-60.

Photo: Stephen Lam, Special To The Chronicle

California Golden Bears guard Justin Cobbs (1) drives for a layout...

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Syracuse Orange forward James Southerland (43) scores over California Golden Bears forward Richard Solomon (35) during the third-round game of their NCAA college basketball tournament at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. on Saturday, March 23, 2013. The Orange defeated the Golden Bears 66-60.

Photo: Stephen Lam, Special To The Chronicle

Syracuse Orange forward James Southerland (43) scores over...

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Members of the California Golden Bears leaves the court after defeated by Syracuse Orange 66-60 in the third-round game of their NCAA college basketball tournament at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. on Saturday, March 23, 2013.

Photo: Stephen Lam, Special To The Chronicle

Members of the California Golden Bears leaves the court after...

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Syracuse Orange forward James Southerland (43) scores during the third-round game of his NCAA college basketball tournament against California Golden Bears at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. on Saturday, March 23, 2013.

Syracuse (28-9) moves on to the East Regional in Washington, D.C., there to play the winner of Sunday's Indiana-Temple game. Cal's season is over at 21-12.

"It's unfortunate, obviously, when you lose your last game," Bears head coach Mike Montgomery said. "You'd have liked to play your best basketball, go out and force the other team to make plays. I don't think we played our best basketball. That zone hurt us, there's no question. We had a difficult time solving the zone. They did a great job locating Crabbe."

Crabbe, the Pac-12's leading scorer this season, got next to nothing against the zone until the final minutes when Cal was scrambling to make a game of it. He was limited to nine shots, made three and finished with eight points, 10 below his average.

Point guard Justin Cobbs found the going rough as well and had only five points. With the perimeter shut off, the Bears looked to their inside people. Junior forward Richard Solomon responded with 22 points and 14 rebounds, both career highs.

"My teammates were giving me the ball where I could be effective, and I was finishing plays," said Solomon, who made 7 of 12 shots.

Reserve post Robert Thurman added nine points, meaning 31 of Cal's 60 points came from the two big men; it's usually Crabbe and Cobbs providing for half of their team's total.

"They keyed in on me," Crabbe said. "Shots I thought I'd get weren't there. They took things away from me. They're long and athletic. I was in the air passing the ball, deferring for my shots. They did a good job with the zone."

"We wanted to get on him and give him no open looks," Carter-Williams said. "We knew if we didn't he would have success. It was like when a shark smells blood."

Although the timing was not ideal, Crabbe was asked if he had reached a decision about whether to return to Berkeley for his senior season or declare for June's NBA draft.

"I don't have any comment on that," he said. "It would be pretty selfish of me to talk about my future after we just lost the game."

About the game, then.

From a 32-24 lead at halftime (Crabbe: three points), the Orange maintained a successful keep-away margin that varied from seven to 10 points most of the second half until Cal teased itself into thinking it had a chance.

Back-to-back three-point shots by Crabbe and freshman Tyrone Wallace made it 58-51 with 1:52 to go. Syracuse's C.J. Fair turned the ball over on the inbounds play but Crabbe, with the ball, stepped on the line to squelch a chance to cut into the deficit even more.

Down 62-54 in the final minute, Wallace sailed an inbounds pass out of bounds for another turnover, this one having the feel of finality with 36 seconds left.

It was a very good season for Cal, but it fell short of great at a time when teams that play great get to keep on playing.